Takuma's Little Flower
by AA Dragon
Summary: Chapter 11 posted! Leave a review please! It's hard to keep posting if there is no one reviewing. Takuma takes in a small child. They grow to be the best of friends. Can Takuma keep her safe with his Grandfather and vampire hunters after them? It will take all of their power combined to reveal secrets and stay alive.
1. Character Profiles

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight or any of the song or rhymes that I might add in later chapter. All I own are my OC characters and the story.

Character Profiles and Summary

(my characters and characters that I do not own)

_Characters:_

Name- Takuma Ichijo Race- Vampire

Age- 18

Personality- Kind, cheerful, always smiling, can be serious in certain situations, loves to read manga.

Appearance- Light yellow, blonde hair, emerald green eyes, a little over 6 feet tall(if that is incorrect please tell me).

Current status and location- Single and living in an apartment for the time being since declining his grandfather's offer to take over the Ichijo business early.

Name- Kohana (means 'little flower')

Age- 8 Race- Human

Personality- Shy, initially timid toward people that she does not know, quick learner, does not trust people with top hats (unknown reason, just there to make it humorous), animal lover.

Appearance- Light brown hair, cloudy, ice blue eyes, almost 3 feet tall(when she is 8 years old).

Current status and location- Single (well of course she is single, she is 8 years old for crying out loud) and living on the streets until found by Takuma.

_Summary of story:_

Not really sure on the summary because I have not come up with an ending yet. It is not going to contain romance but might contain slight language (to make it more entertaining but will not be too bad since I am not a fan of any bad language in the first place) and definite adventure and action. I might add a summary if I come up with an ending. I personally do not like it when stories come to an end so as far as anyone knows it might not even have one. When I come up with more characters, I will add their profiles to this page so be sure to check every once in a while as the story progresses.

Note:

The story will not follow the story line of Vampire Knight at all. This is completely separate. Too make things easier for me; I am going to have Takuma not age physically (so that means he will appear to not age). Kohana's age will be between 8 and 13 throughout the story. I will signify when she gets a year older so it is not confusing. I hope you enjoy my first story.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Little bare feet slapped against the pavement as the little girl ran with all her might. Behind her angry shouts followed by the pounding of heavy boots were in close pursuit of the fleeing child. Being only 8 years of age, Kohana was quickly losing energy and was starting to slow down but tried to keep going. The only reason her pursuers had not caught up to her yet was because Kohana knew the back ways of the city like her own home and was maneuvering her way with as much speed as her small body could muster.

"AH!" Kohana cried out as she slipped and fell in a muddy puddle that had been made by the rain earlier in the day. She quickly clambered up to her feet and dashed off again as men behind her started to gain ground, foot by foot, between them and their target. With one more burst of speed, Kohana dove for a small opening near the end of the alley that she was currently running down. She crawled through most of it before having to get her thin arms in front of her and drag the rest of her shaking body into the abandoned building. When Kohana was all the way in, she pressed her back against the wall and tried to slow her breathing that had become shallow from the rapid beating of her young heart. She instantly stilled and held her breath as she heard the heavy footsteps approach the opening.

"Dang it, that little brat got away again! We almost got her this time, catching her off guard in that store." yelled one of the men in a deep voice. He kicked a trash can harshly making a startled alley cat screech loudly in surprise.

"Calm down. We'll catch her eventually. Besides, it's not like she can leave the city. There's only one way in and one way out and I don't think she can swim." replied the other man in an irritated tone.

The first man harrumphed and began walking away, followed closely by his partner. In her small, temporary haven, Kohana sighed in relief as the footsteps retreated and slumped against the wall in exhaustion. She was safe for now, but she knew that her freedom would only last for a short while. She could only run and hide for so long. The homeless girl knew that she would eventually get caught and punished and that she would not survive it this time. Hungry, thirsty, and cold in her tattered clothes, Kohana curled up in a tight ball and attempted to get some rest for the coming day.

Well readers, this is the first chapter of my very first story on this site. I hope that you enjoyed it and will leave kind, encouraging, and polite reviews or comments. I appreciate and welcome constructive criticism. Thanks for reading. Bye.

-AA Dragon


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

On the other side of the desolate and run down city, a boy of 18 stood solemnly looking out his small apartment window. Takuma had gotten in another argument when his grandfather, Ichio had tried to push him to take over the Ichijo Company. Takuma had refused the offer multiple times but this last one seemed to have pushed Ichio over the edge. _He was acting as if I declared war with China. Like a volcano erupting._ Takuma sighed at this thought but quickly changed his down expression into a light smile. He had run away to allow his grandfather to cool off from his outburst so Takuma fled to the nearest place that Ichio would probably never look for him. _Downtown Tokyo, District 5. Definitely not my first choice to go for sightseeing but there is no way that my grandfather would look _here_ for me._

District 5 was the one of the worst places in Tokyo to be. It was crawling with criminals (not any big time ones but still), abandoned warehouses, and was almost infested with Level E vampires. Takuma was unfortunately unaware of this fact so it became his first choice thinking it only contained humans. There was one police station standing alone on the edge of the district but it obviously did not have much of a reputation considering the colorful graffiti covering the back of it. There were not any legally open businesses in the district either so Takuma had to find an apartment as close to the border as he could manage.

Takuma moved away from the window to look at the time realizing that he should probably get some sleep. Stepping toward the single bed in the small room, he stopped, checked the clock on the bedside table again, and almost face palmed himself. _Oh man, I forgot again. To blend in I should probably be out and about during the daytime so I am not mistaken for a burglar at night. Plus, my grandfather would only look for me at night so that works perfectly._ Takuma smiled wider as he picked up his jacket and headed out to look for a library or a book store. _Maybe I can find some good manga in this city. I hope so or this is going to be a long break._

**(Story Break)**

Kohana groaned as she picked up her head and groggily looked at her surroundings. She blinked her eyes slowly as bits of sunlight came streaming down on her cold body from a hole in the ceiling. _Huh? Where am I? Did I get caught?_ With that last thought, she jerked her sleepy eyes open in fear before relaxing when she saw that she was still free. The moment of relief was instantly replaced with hunger as Kohana's stomach growled loudly. She scanned the area of cement that she had been sleeping on for her prize that she had snatched last night. Her cloudy blue eyes ended their search on a small loaf of bread sitting on the ground in front of her. Kohana scooped the stolen food from the ground, brushed some dirt off it, and proceeded to eat it with gusto. The two men from last night had been chasing after Kohana because they had caught her as she was stealing food from a grocery store. Without thinking much on where she was going, Kohana made a dash for the city limits and had unknowingly entered District 5 in search for a hiding place. Finishing the bread, she got up slowly and winced at a pain in her left leg. Looking down, she noticed a trail of blood escaping from a gash on her knee. _I must have cut it when I fell last night in that puddle. Ouch! It really stings. I better find something to wrap it in._ Making sure to be careful and not infect her knee, Kohana started rummaging around the building for anything that might be useful.

She first found a puddle of water under a hole in the ceiling to wash her bloodied knee in, and then she found a battered, weather beaten box that held old moth eaten cloths. Kohana tore off strips from the least damaged piece of cloth and wrapped it tightly around her wound. Satisfied with her handiwork, she got off of the ground and headed toward the small opening that she had first crawled through. Suddenly, she heard a frantic scrambling behind her. Turning around she expected to see a stray dog, but instead was faced with a terrifying sight. Kohana's blue eyes widened as a scraggly man broke through a nearby door and began to stalk toward her in manner that was awfully similar to a lion hunting its prey.

"Hello little girl," greeted the man in a voice that made Kohana back away fearfully, "Did you get hurt? I could smell your blood from across the street. It smells delicious. May I have some?" The man's eyes began to glow red as he spoke, sharp fangs grew from under his top lip and his hands morphed into hideous claws. Then the Level E bared his fangs and lunged at Kohana while swiping at her with one of his clawed hands.

Kohana screamed and put her right arm in front of her face to protect herself. The vampire made contact with her outstretched hand causing three deep scratch marks to appear on the frightened girl's arm. Kohana cried out in pain and fell down in front of the opening while clutching her now bleeding arm. The vampire paused in his attack to lick the blood that had fallen onto his hand when he had lashed out at the girl on the floor. Kohana's brain kicked into auto-pilot and began moving her body toward the hole in the building as an escape. She struggled hard and barely managed to squeeze through the opening before the Level E attempted to grab her after it realized what happened. Still holding onto her wounded arm and with tears falling rapidly down her cheeks from the pain, Kohana limped away from the building as fast as she could.

**(Story Break)**

About a half hour had gone by and Kohana could barely stand on her wobbly legs. She collapsed on the ground outside of a building with lights that were beginning to turn off one by one. She had made it into the city limits just passed the police station on the border when she had collapsed from exhaustion. _I finally got away. I don't know what that monster was but it is gone now. I'm safe. But now I need to fix my arm before it gets worse. I think I'll rest for a little bit and then patch up these scratches._ A dark figure suddenly dropped from the top of the building and landed in front of her.

"Found you. I followed the smell of your sweet blood all the way." The Level E chuckled darkly as Kohana crawled away from the vampire in a desperate attempt at escape. It grabbed hold of the girl's injured leg and dragged her back towards it.

"AH! Let me go. That hurts. Let go," Kohana screamed and thrashed as much as her disabled body would allow her. She suddenly collapsed on the ground, giving up. _I am going to die. It's not like I had much to live for anyway._ Kohana struggled to keep her dimming eyes open. _At least I put up a fight._ The Level E vampire opened its jaws wide and lunged for the girl's thin pale neck. Her small head thudded against the pavement as she lost consciousness. The last thing she heard was a sharp slicing sound as a gust of wind blew by her. Kohana assumed it was her imagination but she swore she heard someone speaking to her in a concerned voice as she slipped into unconsciousness.

**(Story End)**

There is chapter 2. Bit of a long one but it is 2 a.m. and my eyes are fried. I hope you like it. Please leave a review. Bye.

-AA Dragon


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Takuma had been wandering around the small shopping district for nearly the whole day searching for some kind of store that offered manga to the public, with little success. _There has to be some place that sells a good book. These people can't be too uneducated._ His green orbs scanned over a billboard that seemed to be advertising a razor but was using the worst grammar that Takuma had seen in his life._ Or maybe they can._ Shaking his head, Takuma turned a corner and finally found what he had been looking for.

"Yippee! Manga…here I come," squealed Takuma as he sped toward the entrance of the book store at the end of the street. In his excitement, he failed to notice all the wide-eyed passersby that he had startled with his outburst. A gleeful person is a rarity this close to District 5.

From all the way down the street, "Ooh, Naruto…One Piece…Look at all these choices." could be heard coming out of the book store, along with the occasional childish squeal of joy.

An hour had passed before the store owner announced that he was closing up shop as it was well past nightfall. Takuma almost lost his smile when he heard this. Almost.

"Ah Mr. Book Store Owner, can't I stay for five more minutes. I have one more aisle to go through." Takuma pleaded and whined as the owner just kept answering, 'No'.

"Pretty please with sprinkles on top," said the smiling vampire for what seemed like the billionth time.

"No. And that is final. Now get out before I call the cops," yelled the exasperated store owner as he shoved his enthusiastic customer out the door and onto the street.

Even though Takuma was a lot stronger than the burly shop owner, he allowed himself to be pushed out the door. With arms full of mismatched books and manga, the blonde-haired boy waved good-bye to the grumbling man and began skipping merrily down the sidewalk with a huge smile adorned on his face. As he was coming up to a business that was closing down for the night, Takuma heard an inhuman growl followed by a scream that sounded like it came from a young girl. Stopping to listen further, his emerald eyes widened in disbelief at what he heard.

"Found you. I followed the smell of your sweet blood all the way," a voice said that did not sound entirely human followed by a scrambling sound and a small voice saying, "Let me go."

Takuma stiffened at the mention of blood, realizing what creature was attacking the girl. _A level E…here. That's impossible. There weren't any reports of level e vampires in this area. I better take care of this._ Dropping his books on the pavement, Takuma summoned his kantana from the surrounding matter and unsheathed it as he ran toward the sound of commotion. Sliding to a halt at the alleyway, he analyzed the scene in front of him before striking. The crazed vampire was just about to lung at a girl lying unconscious on the ground when Takuma swung the sword in an arc and sliced the beast in half from an angle. The Level E turned to dust before it could let out a scream. Sheathing his kantana and allowing it disappear, Takuma rushed over to the pale body of the unconscious girl. For a moment, he thought she was awake and tried to ask if she was alright but quickly noticed that he was mistaken. He scanned her small form for any serious injuries. Takuma's green eyes pinpointed the poorly bandaged knee and the three long gashes on the girl's right arm which he assumed were made by the dead Level E. _Poor girl. She looks as if she had already been in a bad situation before this incident. It's amazing that she survived the attack._ The blonde's head tilted slightly as the young girl moaned in pain and attempted to curl in on herself when a small wind swept by. _I can't just leave her like this. I'll fix her up and try to find a place for her to stay. Assuming that there is a place that takes children in around here. I doubt it, but it never hurts to try._

Takuma gently settled the shivering child in his arms and stood up slowly. He looked down and smiled softly as the girl curled into his chest seeking warmth. Her injured arm was now facing up toward him and Takuma noticed a delicious scent coming from the open wound. _She smells so good. No wonder that Level E was pursuing her. A little bite…No! Stop it!_ Takuma jerked his head up as he realized his fangs had lengthened and his green orbs were now a shining red. He started taking deep breaths to calm himself out of his bloodlust. _Darn it, I forgot to bring extra blood tablets. I only have a few left on me and I forgot to take them today. I better be extra careful while I have this girl in my care._ With that, Takuma strode off in the direction of the apartment he was currently staying in.

Alright, this is the third chapter. The story will pick up as I get farther into it. I just needed to give it a beginning. I hope you all like it and leave a review. Thanks for reading.

-AA Dragon


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

_**(Flashback: 2 ½ years prior to the story)**_

_**Hearing glass breaking and muffled angry voices coming from downstairs, a 6-year-old Kohana became immediately frightened because her parents had left on a late-night errand not 15 minutes ago. Peeking out her bedroom door she had a good view of the living room. The girl's big blue eyes widened at the scene of three cloaked figures, one with a top hat, standing in the destructive mess that was once the family room. **_

_**One of the figures, a man, cursed before saying, "We finally track this nosy couple down and they're not at home. What now?" The question was directed at the tallest figure looming in front of the mantelpiece. The person in question turned in the direction of Kohana's hiding place, revealing to be a young woman, before replying.**_

_** "We'll get them tonight. They have to come home eventually. We can…hold on, did you hear that?" The woman stopped when she heard a low squeaking sound along with a small gasp. The intruders searched the inside of the house with their eyes while listening for any other noise. **_

_**Kohana had leaned too far out the door causing the hinges to squeak and had let out a quick breath when she saw that the cloaked people had heard her. She started to back away from the door as quietly as possible, knowing now that the strange people were looking for her parents. Kohana's first thought was to get outside and run to her neighbor's house for help. As she was backing up, the woman in the living room had begun to search the second level when her cold eyes met Kohana's scared ones.**_

_**The female intruder's eyes fell upon two hidden orbs that belonged to the scared face of a child. She smirked and announced her find to her companions, "Looks like the house isn't completely empty. Our sources failed to mention that our targets had a tiny spawn." With saying this, the woman gestured to the confused men to follow as she started up the staircase.**_

_**As soon as the evil gaze landed on her, Kohana had scrambled away from the doorway and crawled into her closet. There was a trap door that led outside in case of an emergency near the back of her closet. Hearing her bedroom door slam open, she slipped down the passageway and darted across the lawn.**_

_** "Dammit, she got away. After her fools," yelled the woman as she dove for the small brown-haired girl just as she disappeared from sight. The two lackeys rushed out of the bedroom but froze at the top of the staircase. Standing in the entranceway were a man and woman both holding jeweled staffs and were in defensive stances. The woman had blonde hair with bright blue eyes and the man had dark brown hair with black eyes; Kohana's parents. **_

_** "What have you done to our house and where is my little girl, you filthy creatures," snarled the mother like an angry she-bear. **_

_** "Ah, so the cowards show their faces at last. And your tiny brat is long gone," replied the cloaked woman from atop the stairs, "No need to worry though. It's not like you'll ever see her again once we're done with you. Get them!"**_

_**As ordered, the two male intruders leaped toward the couple with freshly grown claws and fangs. Kohana's parents attempted to fend off the vampires as the third started to shower them with blue fireballs. The Level C's plan was to create as much natural light in the room so the couple would constantly be at a disadvantage.**_

_** "Sweetheart, there aren't enough shadows. We're losing. I'm going to pull the switch. Be ready." Kohana's father informed his wife with despair. She gave her husband a meaningful glance before nodding then striking the attacking vampires to give him just enough time to open a panel in the wall and pull a lever. **_

'_**Woompf' Kohana spun around to see a large pillar of fire erupt from her house. Tears fell from her ice blue eyes as she realized that could not go home. She blinked when two sets of screams filled the air, one of them she recognized. **_

_** "Mom…Dad…you came home," she choked on her words as her voice became nothing but grief. "Why, I need you and now you're not here. Please come back…I need you…please…," Kohana's words fell dead as she broke down, sobbing. She began running blindly in a direction but tripped over a hidden branch and crashed to the hard ground. She felt her head almost split as it hit a sharp rock and she lost consciousness. Her last thought was hoping that she never woke up.**_

_**(End Flashback)**_

**(Current Story Time)**

Kohana moaned at the sharp memory of pain in her head. She tried to reach up and rub her throbbing head but her winced and immediately dropped her hand when the wound on it screamed in protest. She slowly opened her eyes to the dull sun peeking in through a window across from the bed that she was laying in. _Wait, what? A window and a soft, warm bed. Where am I? What happened?_ Kohana abruptly sat up in an effort to get a better view of her surroundings but instantly fell back on the bed when her head threatened to explode. _Argh, my head feels like I ran into a brick wall, got hit by a truck, and then was repeatedly run over by the same truck. I still don't know where I am and how I got to this strange place. I obviously didn't get captured otherwise I would be in a jail cell not a bed. Wherever I am, I need to leave before something bad happens._ Struggling to rise, Kohana scanned the room for an exit. Her blue orbs landed on the single door leading out of the room just as the doorknob clicked and began to turn slowly. She sucked in a breath as the door quietly opened to a yellow-blonde head with bright emerald eyes. Seeing that the injured girl was awake, the figure stepped fully into the room where Kohana could see that the person was a tall, lanky boy with a huge smile on his face.

"Oh, thank goodness that you are awake. I thought that you might sleep forever. How are you feeling?" The strange boy asked in a cheerful tone. Kohana blinked and said nothing. _Am I still dreaming? This…boy does not seem real. Besides, why would someone with nice clothes that can afford a place to live be nice to me. There is no way this is real._ The stranger looked confused at her silence and crept closer to figure out what was wrong. Kohana started at the sudden movement before shoving herself as far back into the bed frame as it would allow. _If this is a dream, why am I afraid? All I have to do is close my eyes, count to ten, and I'll wake up._ She clenched her eyes shut and began counting.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Takuma had tried his best to bandage up all that was damaged or cut on the tiny girl's body but he didn't think he got everything covered. After settling her on the only bed in the tiny apartment, he went out to take his blood tablets and look for supplies and food for the injured girl. When Takuma returned he set the grocery bags outside the door so he could open the door as quietly as possible. He did not want to wake up or startle the poor girl. As he poked his blonde head in, Takuma smiled in relief at seeing the girl's eyes to be an ice blue and _open_. _Thank goodness she's awake. I had almost begun to think that she might have dropped into a coma. _Takuma thought as he stepped into the room and slowly approached the bed. When he asked if she was alright, he froze because he saw that the girl had become frightened at his entrance and had pushed herself as far away from him as the bed would allow. _Uh oh, what did I do? I was trying to make her feel comfortable but just ended up scaring her. She must have been through much worse than I thought or… she can clearly remember what happened the previous night._ Takuma's head tilted to the side in confusion when the small child shut her fear-filled eyes tight as if expecting an attack and became extremely still. He blinked before trying to approach her again to see what was wrong. Gently, he laid a cold hand on her frail shoulder to get her attention while whispering that he was not going to harm her. Kohana flinched and jerked her eyes open at his touch and soft voice before meeting his cool green eyes. She tensed waiting for any sudden movements that would mean her getting harmed again. Takuma smiled warmly to show her that he means no harm.

He tried to speak to her again, "Are you okay? I am not going to hurt you. I was the one who bound your wounds. I am your friend not your enemy." Kohana stared hard at the strange boy in front of her, and then looked down at her arm and leg, and back up to the smiling stranger. She didn't know what to say; she was still unsure since it was her careful and suspicious nature that had kept her alive for two and a half years. _I am not going to speak until I am 100% sure that I can trust this boy. I still do not think he is real. He features are too perfect and he smiles way too much to be normal._

As Kohana was going over her thoughts, Takuma became slightly worried when the girl remained silent. _Did she go into shock? Maybe if I explain to her what happened she will start talking._ Using this theory, he went over the events of last night, from the time Takuma found her to now. But he was not being completely honest; Takuma was twisting the story a little to avoid saying 'vampire' and frightening the girl more. He figured that he could convince the girl that the man had simply been crazy or rabid and therefore was scared off easily.

Kohana was paying the green-eyed boy very little attention. She was trying to judge the distance between her and the only way out of this room. _I don't think he locked the door, but even so I am probably faster them him._ With that small spark of encouragement, Kohana swiftly slid off the bed and darted for the door. Reaching it, she pulled hard and jumped out running down the hall as fast as her aching legs could go. Sneaking a peek behind her to ensure that the boy was not following her, Kohana slammed into what felt like a brick wall. Falling on her rump, she looked up, squinting from the impact, and gulped loudly.

To say that Takuma was shocked would be an understatement. He barely registered how quickly the girl had sped past him and out the door. Sighing, Takuma stood up to go track the runaway down. _I guess my idea didn't work. I would let her go but she is still terribly injured and most likely even more frightened than before. But, man, she is a fast one. If it wasn't for her scent, I would have confused her with a vampire. _As Takuma was rounding a corner where the girl's retreating footsteps were coming from, he heard a low thump. He saw that she had bumped into someone hard enough to knock her to the ground. Takuma's emerald orbs traveled up the figure to a very familiar face. _Oh, what luck._ He thought sarcastically. _This must be karma for something I did. Why, oh, why did it have to be _Big Billy_._

**(End Story)**

**Okay, that is chapter 5. So sorry it took so long to update. Well, at least longer than the other chapters. Homework has been taking up the whole day for me. I am going to try to update faster though.**


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Big Billy can very easily be mistaken for a gorilla from afar, though not one person in the apartment building would voice this similarity. When walking down the hall, you would be extremely unfortunate if he was coming down the same hall and _toward_ you. Billy virtually takes up the whole hallway, widthwise. There is absolutely no room to get by, not like he would let you go if you did manage to slip by. Takuma was instantly reminded of those 'innocent' bullies that are common in public schools when he first encountered the large man. You know the ones who never get caught by the teachers even if photographic evidence was shown to prove that the bully in question was guilty? It was the week before Takuma remembered to sleep at night and stay awake in the daytime. It never occurred to him before that time that even in District 5 sleeping during the day was odd and would be noticed. Takuma was coming out of the building as Billy was going in for the night. Stopping the passive vampire with his bulk, Billy commented on Takuma's unusual sleeping habits. Being the gentleman he was brought up to be, Takuma smiled politely and offered an unconvincing excuse. Since then, if the two encountered each other in the hall, Billy would say 'vampire' or 'freak' under his breath just to see if he could get a reaction out of Takuma.

Billy would always commit small crimes or threaten some of the residents for whatever reason. Everyone is either too scared or just not caring to tell the landlord. But the worst thing that he does is the one you only hear in whispers behind closed and bolted doors. It is what he does to lost or homeless children that he picks up off the street. He lures them in with the promise of food, warmth, or help and a sickly sweet smile upon his chubby face. No one ever sees those children ever again. When a brave or stupid soul does manage to ask they just get another disgusting smile and a response along the lines of: "What child? I don't know what you are talking about." After the 5th or 6th incident people stopped asking for numerous reasons.

It was for that reason and that reason alone that caused the panic to go up in Takuma. Being drawn to the small human girl's helplessness and wanting to protect her, he would do absolutely anything to keep her safe.

"Ah, the 'vampire freak' has some company I see," sneered Billy, "Mind if I borrow her?"

"Yes, I do. She is under my protection. Let her go, Billy," Takuma all but snarled his order while reaching for the stunned girl on the floor.

"Oh really," Billy said in a mock disbelieving tone, "Then why is she running away from you, hmm? It might do her good if I take her in. What do you say sweetie?" The last question was directed toward the wide-eyed girl that had backed up against a wall.

Kohana was utterly confused as the man and boy argued above her as if she wasn't even there. When the man that she had run into directed a question at her, she merely stared still unsure as to what was going on. The only thing that Kohana had managed to pick up from the argument was that both of them wanted to take her with them. So Kohana did what she always did when danger and uncertainty were brought before her; she ran.

In the middle of Takuma's protests to Billy's suggestion, the blue-eyed human dragged her worn body up from the ground and sprinted down the hall. Takuma stopped to stare after the fleeing child, relieved that she had made a move to get away from Billy even if it also meant she was running away from him as well. Takuma let out a small breath before drawing it again sharply in anger. Big Billy had muttered something that would have not been heard by anyone with human hearing. But Takuma does not have human hearing because Takuma is not a human. He is a powerful aristocrat vampire. _How dare he say something so foul? I can't take it. He threatened someone I chose to protect and on top of that the blood tablets wore off making me extremely thirsty. Beside it's not like this man doesn't deserve it, if you can even call him a man._ Takuma's eyes turned from a dulled emerald to a shining blood red and his fangs descended to their full length as he turned toward Billy with his head bowed.

"Hey…what's your damage? Hey man, back off!" Billy snapped as the furious vampire slowly approached with most of his face obscured by his golden bangs. Takuma shoved the now scared bully into the nearest wall, harshly. Billy groaned as his bulbous head bounced off the wall from the quick movement and sudden impact. He gasped when he regained his sight. His entire vision was filled with the two glowing red orbs of a demon and a pair of extremely knife-sharp canines bearing down on him.

Takuma opened his mouth wide and sunk the saliva-dripped fangs into the thrashing victim's neck. It barely lasted 60 seconds, but the sound of Big Billy's shrieks as his life-blood was being drained echoed for endless hours in the vacant hallways and in the ears of anyone that had been within hearing range of the incident.

Kohana flinched at the faint sounds of screaming far along down the corridors of the building. Unconsciously, she had taken refuge in the room that she had awaked in earlier. Kohana was curled up in a tight ball on the side of the lone bed that was farthest from the entry door. Still only slightly aware of where she was, Kohana was gradually being lulled to sleep from the presence of the warm, soft, and _clean_ linens. Not five minutes later, the small girl was out like a light.


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Even though he should be feeling more alive than ever, Takuma felt a lot like how he imagined being a zombie would feel. He had just finished clearing the hallway of a lifeless corpse and whatever blood he had spilled while feeding. For some reason Takuma always felt strange after drinking human blood, no matter how right and good it had seemed when he started. It wasn't a physical ailment either; he knew it was all in his head. Takuma sighed deeply as he wandered through his apartment door and headed into the bathroom to change out of his blood-stained clothes. With his senses still heightened, Takuma clearly smelled the presence of a human in his room but payed it no attention. _Stupid instincts, _Takuma thought, _I hate it when my other side shows. Anything red is immediately confused for blood even though I know otherwise._ He glared at the tiles that lined the shower which were, oh so ironically, colored a deep burgundy. Takuma smacked himself in the forehead to clear the jumbled mess that was supposed to be his thoughts. _I just hope that little girl if safe. I would go look for her but I highly doubt that is a good idea considering my current state. I would only scare her again._ Takuma's 'current state' was disheveled dirty-blonde hair, half retracted fangs, and eyes that were no longer a shining red but also not the soft green they usually were. _Not to mention those memories pop up of that time. Oh shoot, I should not have thought that. Now I'm just going to have nightmares of that time._ Sighing once again at this reminder, Takuma headed for bed. Completely disregarding the small lump on one side of the bed, Takuma flopped down onto the other side. As he was closing his eyes that were ever so slowly fading into their original green state, Takuma silently hoped that his mind would let him rest peacefully. His sub-conscious swirled before showing a scene of the inside of a mansion approximately 10 years in the past; almost as if saying "yeah, good luck with that".

_**(10 years prior to story)**_

_**The country of Japan had been on the brink of war for centuries. The peace between the two sides had been created and maintained by the means of one treaty. And a desperately made treaty at that. Now the two enemies were standing by on the battle field, waiting for the other to make the first move. **_

**What are the two enemies you ask?**

**Well, the first you are should already be acquainted with; vampires. The secret society of bloodthirsty, unnaturally beautiful, creatures of the night, which have the roamed the lands longer than most species on this earth have existed, including humans. From the elite Purebloods to the insane Level E's; vampires had remained unseen and unknown for millions of years.**

**The second, you may or may not be familiar with; hunters. Not deer or duck or any kind of hunter you know. No; I am talking about vampire hunters. A group of specially trained and talented humans who possess unique skills and weapons that are designed to seriously injure and/or kill a vampire. But strangely so, the weapons were so specially and uniquely made that if accidently used on a human it would not harm a hair on his/her head.**

**Now that you have been a bit more familiarized with the two opponents; back to the story.**

_**(Flashback: Ichijo Mansion)**_

_**Takuma had been told to never eavesdrop on people, especially his elders, but it just could not be helped in his current situation. For reasons unknown, Takuma's grandfather had requested his immediate audience. Even though he appeared to be no older than 14, Takuma had been studying his 'Advanced Calculus' textbook intently when one of the household servants informed him of his grandfather's request. Now Takuma was waiting patiently outside Asato Ichijo's office, listening to the ever so slightly raised voices of two elder vampires. Takuma had learned not too long ago that his grandfather was one of the many vampires who have integrated themselves into human society as hidden rulers. Using their natural born talents, vampires became famous actors, athletes, authors, models etc. of the human world as well as putting themselves in high standards for their own society. Asato had built a major corporation that became very successful and very well known in both worlds. The Ichijo Company had prospered for 30 years before the conflict between the hunters and vampires began to create problems for the neutral business. It seemed that this was the very subject that was being discussed between Ichio and his associate. **_

_** "The company will not remain standing too much longer if war breaks out. You know this as well as I do, Ichio, yet you do nothing about it." Takuma heard the voice of his grandfather's guest comment. The voice of his grandfather answered in an exhausted and irritated manner,**_

_** "Your right; I am aware. But you are also wrong to say that I have not done a thing in response. I have done plenty. I am actually surprised that you have not noticed the actions that I put in motion a year ago. You must be getting slow in your old age, my friend." Takuma could tell that his grandfather was kidding about the last part. Vampires become more cunning and even more intelligent the older they get. The young vampire's ears had perked up a bit when the actions to prepare for the war had been brought up though. He had happened to notice that the maids and servants seemed to be a bit nervous and jumpy for the last week but had thought nothing of it until now. By now Takuma had his ear vacuum-sealed to his grandfather's office door to ensure that he missed not one piece of the now interesting conversation. His enhanced hearing should have been enough but his grandfather had made this particular door extra thick for the very purpose of keeping passerby from hearing conversations they were not supposed to hear. The boy's green eyes widened a bit at the next words that came from Asato.**_

_** "In fact, one of the key factors of my preparations for the company's future should be standing outside my door at this moment. Once I am done with him, everything will be put into full swing," Ichio gave his guest a few minutes to digest this information before speaking again, **_

"_**Now, if you have voiced all of your current concerns, I bid you farewell and a good night. I must attend to my other duties."**_

_**Takuma backed up when shuffling footsteps approached the door. It opened to a slightly masked look of shock on the face of a man that appeared to be in his mid-20s. Shaking his head to clear the expression off his face, the man nodded a silent greeting to the confused blonde-haired boy before striding down the hall and turning down another toward the front door. Takuma had no time to watch the guest leave before his grandfather called him to enter in a tone that most definitely could not be described as kind.**_

_**Feeling too awkward and nervous to sit in one of the available chairs, Takuma stood as close to the exit door without making it too obvious that he would bolt if the situation demanded it. The timid, young vampire had always been a bit afraid of the cold elder even though Asato was one of the last living relatives of Takuma. Ichio had never shown his grandson any affection, encouragement, or praise no matter how hard Takuma worked and studied and did everything he could possibly do to win Ichio's approval. It was also rare when Takuma received direct instruction from his grandfather. Everything that he was told to do was passed on through a maid or servant. The last time Takuma had been in this office was when he had accidently broke a table under some very ridiculous circumstances. With that fresh in his mind, Takuma's nervousness spiked to a dangerous level as he started to shift his weight back and forth on his legs as he thought back to whatever trouble he might have unconsciously gotten into.**_

_**Asato's green eyes narrowed as his grandson fidgeted, obviously uncomfortable. He couldn't have a grandson with a little more backbone? Suppressing the urge to sigh and roll his eyes at the boy's fear, Ichio began the first step of his plan.**_

_** "Takuma," The addressed boy flinched at the break of silence, "I am assuming that you are aware of the war that has been threatening to start, yes?" Takuma nodded after a minute of surprise at the question instead of the scolding that Takuma had been expecting.**_

_** "Good. Now, I know you heard the last part of my discussion with Nathaniel about the future of the Ichijo Company. Do you deny this?" This time Takuma shook his blonde head, slowly.**_

_** "I thought not. My plan, in brief, is to train you the same way I attempted to train your father to lead the business. Your father, as you know, failed. Where your father failed, I want you to succeed. If you do then you will be worthy to take over and continue the company I started. Do you understand so far, Takuma?"**_

_**Takuma was, to say the least, shocked. Train? Running the company? The stunned teen barely managed another nod as he tried to process what his grandfather had just said. Takuma could hear another question being directed at him but it merely went in one ear and out the other. He had completed and passed every course and subject that is required for a typical human high school and college. Plus, Ichio had demanded that Takuma study books on how to run a successful business. What more could there be for him to learn? Looking up for an explanation, the boy saw that Asato had begun to repeat his previous question.**_

_** "I asked you if you have discovered your ability," Takuma started at the question before replying with caution.**_

_** "Yes I have, Grandfather. Would you like to see?" After waiting for the confirmation, Takuma focused on his grandfather's desk. He found it easier to manipulate matter that already existed instead of making it out of nothing. Struggling to concentrate under Ichio's intense gaze, Takuma managed to shift the matter of the desk from a dark hardwood to shining gray steel. The elder did not so much as blink at the display of power. The boy's shoulders slumped from exhaustion and in failure to impress Asato. Takuma's head was drooped so low that it threatened to hit the ground in front of his feet.**_

_** "Show me something else," Asato demanded harshly. "That was pathetic. You should have more skill by now. I heard that your ability was uncovered a week ago. That is more than enough time to develop it if you were instructed properly and had tried harder."**_

_** "Yes Grandfather," Takuma's self-esteem was all but gone after that lecture. Already tired from the previous display, the teen focused his power again but this time on the matter in front of his face. Grunting slightly from the exertion, Takuma slowly formed a small ball of steel that grew to the size of a baseball before stopping to hover in the air. Taking a couple of deep breaths to regain some energy, Takuma willed the matter in front of him to take the shape that was pictured in his mind.**_

_**The ball of steel, slowly but surely, began to morph. It twisted, blurred, and stretched in ways that should have been impossible for natural steel. A few minutes had passed of this before a more distinct shape formed from the small mass. First, a rough outline of a figure appeared. Next, the details of arms, legs, and clothes of a man formed followed by the slight features of the hair and face. Finally, the steel shape changed its pose to that of a business presenter and color was added to the small figure as a finishing touch. The miniature Asato spun to face its bigger version and floated swiftly through the air to land softly on the large, ornate desk of its replica.**_

_**Takuma's face was now flushed from the effort of making his gift. He sunk to floor to rest as his legs could no longer support his sagging body. The boy's head spun slightly from the exhaustion. Looking up, Takuma hoped with all his might that he had managed to finally impress his grandfather. Seeing the way Ichio was looking at his creation, Takuma knew that he had failed again. His grandfather's next words only confirmed his thoughts.**_

_** "You could not think to make something more practical? You could have created anything from a pistol to elaborate battle armor. This is the very reason why you must be trained."**_

_**If Takuma had any more energy than he currently possessed, he would have defended himself but the teen could barely even keep his eyes open. **_

_** "Your training is quite simple in explanation: survive." The young vampire's green orbs widened greatly. "You must survive outside of your home and away from anything familiar to you for 5 years. You are not allowed to bring anything but the clothes that have been brought to your room." Asato paused to make sure that his grandson was still listening. "You leave immediately. I am having Gregorio bring you to the area where you will begin. Is this understood, Takuma?"**_

_**Takuma had jumped to his feet as if to protest but the words became stuck in his throat when his green eyes met Ichio's. There was no room for argument. He could not fight nor would he win if he tried. The blonde's head hung in defeat once again. He murmured a 'Yes Grandfather' before slipping out of the office, up two flights of stairs, and into his bedroom at the end of the hall. Slamming the door upon entry, Takuma nearly broke the door with the force that he had put toward the movement. He was angry and confused. Why had his grandfather made those decisions? Why couldn't he do anything right? The frustrated teen paced the large space of his room searching for answers to the questions that swarmed his head. He stopped abruptly as a knock sounded from the cracked door of his room. It was Gregorio, there to inform him that the car was ready to depart. Takuma all but snapped at the poor servant that he would be down in a minute. Gregorio left with confusion and shock evident on his face. The young master was always kind and had never in his life snapped to any of the servants. There was obviously something wrong. Something very wrong.**_

_**An hour later, Takuma had arrived at the barren spot of land that he would start his training. Still angry, he did not even say good-bye to his driver. Taking in his surroundings, Takuma began to feel very alone especially after the car had disappeared into the distance. As far as he could tell, there was no life for miles. **_

_**He was utterly alone and would be for 5 years.**_

Here is chapter 7. I am so sorry that it took forever to get up. I got stuck while writing it and I was trying to make it longer. I hope you all enjoy it. Please review.


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Kohana stirred from her much needed sleep as sun rays filtered through the blanket to warm her chilled skin. _Where am I now?_ Lifting the soft sheets, Kohana saw that she was still in the strange but comfortable bed that she fell asleep in the previous night. _Oh…so it wasn't just a dream. I figured that the lack of food and the exhaustion from all that running was making me hallucinate._ As she was rubbing the sleep from her blue eyes, the bed shifted ever so slightly. And it was not Kohana doing, she knew that for sure. Turning around slightly, Kohana gasped and her ice orbs widened in disbelief. It was the boy from yesterday! _How did he get here?_ Kohana was suddenly struck with recognition. The room she fell asleep in was the same one that the boy had brought her to so it must be his. As Kohana silently slid off the bed, she froze as another thought struck her but this one was of confusion. _How come he is asleep on the same bed as me? I did curl up under the covers, but it still should have been pretty obvious that there was someone else on the bed._ Kohana abruptly ended her thoughts and ducked behind the edge of her side as the blonde-haired boy awoke and started to sit up. She watched silently as the figure blinked his eyes open before immediately squeezing them back shut when they were met by the sun's rays coming from the partially open shades. As Takuma adjusted to the bright light, Kohana was trying to figure out her plan of action. She could either hide under the bed until the strange boy left or try a risky escape attempt by just running for it. Deciding to just hide under the bed, Kohana heard a soft voice address her.

"Hello again", It was the boy, now fully awake and staring across the bed at her with a light smile upon his face, "How are you feeling this even—I mean morning?"

Kohana caught the stumble in greeting but thought little of it considering she was trying to escape. Keeping her blue eyes trained on the boy's grass-green ones, she backed up toward the door.

"No, please don't run away again", the blonde pleaded as he dropped to his knees to look smaller and therefore appear less dangerous; "I really am not going to hurt you. I just want to help. Please believe me."

Kohana stopped her retreat. _This odd boy is at least telling the truth. He said he bandaged my wounds…but there is nothing else for me to go by to trust him. I don't even know his name._ As if reading her mind, the green-eyed boy introduced himself as another attempt to coax the girl to stay.

"Look, my name is Takuma Ichijo. I don't have on me nor own weapons of any sort," A tiny lie on his part but at the moment he just wanted to gain the human girl's trust. As long as he could keep his bloodlust in check and his fangs hidden, he would be able to stay truthful in the girl's eyes. He held out his hands, palm-up, to show, "Also, I apologize for falling asleep next to you. I was unaware that you were there and I did not mean anything by it."

Takuma finished his intro and explanation with a wide and sincere smile.

Kohana did not know what to think or say. Actually, ever since she crawled off the bed her thoughts had become fuzzy. Her vision was not any better. Kohana squinted, blinked her eyes rapidly, and shook her head furiously to clear her vision but nothing worked. Takuma asked, worriedly, if she was alright but Kohana just shook her head again.

Takuma was now thoroughly confused by the girl's actions. She was not running away from him but she seemed to be distracted by something. He could not tell if she had finally accepted him as a friend or was so frightened by him that she was trying to physically deny the situation and his presence. Deciding to pretend that the first one had actually happened, Takuma waited patiently for the girl to calm down before he did anything else.

Kohana finally stopped her futile attempts at clearing her head and looked back up at the boy whom she remembered had introduced himself as, Takuma. He was just staring at her with a concerned look on his pale face. She vaguely recalled him saying something to her but couldn't quite grasp it with her disorganized mind. Without warning, the room started to spin before her. The walls titled and became warped and faded. The furniture expanded and contracted to unreal sizes. Kohana knew what was happening but did not want to acknowledge it.

Takuma saw the girl was still now. Thinking everything was alright, he relaxed and asked for her name.

"Pardon me miss, but could I have your name?" Takuma's eye twitched. He should tone down the nice and innocent voice a bit. Being too polite could have the same effect as being rude or mean. The girl looked at Takuma with glassy eyes, rocking back and forth on her heels. She parted her lips as if trying to say something but stopped before any words came out. Takuma recognized the look on the young girl's face as one of indecision. Smiling with encouragement, he urged her to answer.

Seeming to have made up her mind, the girl opened her mouth and said faintly, "My name…is…K—Kohana" Before collapsing.

_Hmm, Kohana, that's an inter— oh no!_ Takuma looked on in shock as Kohana fainted to the floor. Takuma leaped across the room to catch her head before she hit the floor. His emerald eyes searched for any physical wounds that might have caused the girl to faint. Finding none, he checked her pulse. It was weak and fading and her skin felt cold and clammy. Takuma panicked slightly while trying to decide to either take the girl to a hospital or tend to her himself. If he took the hospital option, he risked the chance of being discovered by the men his grandfather had sent in search of him. But of course, the doctors at a human hospital would have more medical training then Takuma currently had. Takuma felt Kohana's heartbeat become rapid and her breathing became shallow. Pushing his previous concerns aside, he dashed out the door and down the hall with Kohana cradled safely in his arms.

As soon as Takuma hit the street, he put on more speed, using his abilities to dodge passerby and avoid detection as he rushed out of the _District 5_ and into the main city. Takuma's sensitive eyes were practically burning in their sockets as he ran. The sun glared down, unmerciful, as if trying to hinder the vampire from reaching his destination. _I should consider buying sunglasses. Why didn't I think of that before?_ Takuma mentally kicked himself. There were more important things to worry about than forgetting sunglasses.

Takuma burst through the sliding doors of the hospital, frantic. In just the few short minutes that it had taken for them to arrive, Kohana's condition had worsened. She had paled considerably, her breaths were shorter, and her body was slowly heating up from her core. A red-headed nurse with too many freckles and a soft face greeted them with a worried tone.

"What seems to be wrong, sir?"

"I really don't know that's why I brought her here. I was hoping you would know", Takuma responded, a little irate. _Are human doctors paid for asking stupid questions? Instead of asking me, they should be trying to find out. I came here for this sick girl to get help, not to be asked useless questions._

The nurse shuddered at the change in the air. Looking up at the strange man, her eyes met his and for a brief moment; she feared for her life. She could have sworn that the man's eyes were a deep emerald but for this split second, they were the red eyes of a monster. It felt like her soul was drowning in the fiery pit of Hades.

The nurse blinked and the dreaded feeling washed away like the waves on a beach washing away the writings in the sand. There was no monster, her soul was still her own, and she was gawking like an idiot. She snapped her mouth shut and attempted to regain her composure without showing that she had lost it. Looking back up, she held her arms out in a gesture for the man to hand over the girl.

Takuma was very ready to accept that the human nurse in front of him was slightly retarded. For a full minute and a half, she just stared at him with unfocused eyes. Now it seemed her mind had returned to her body, the nurse was trying to take Kohana away from him. He drew back from the red-head, pulling Kohana closer to him.

"I go where she goes", Takuma stated flatly.

The nurse arched an eyebrow but said nothing. She turned around on her heel sharply and strode down a hallway. Takuma took off after her, almost surpassing her in his hurry. They came to a door at the end of the hall which opened to a medium-sized room with a single hospital bed.

"Place the child on the bed and I'll check her temperature", said the nurse sternly. Takuma complied before the nurse finished her sentence. He set Kohana down gently and pulled the pure white sheets up to her chin. Kohana let out a low moan of discomfort. The nurse came over with a small, plastic thermometer. While checking the girl's temperature, she felt the scrutinizing gaze of the green-eyed man as he watched every move of hers that involved the child. Feeling uncomfortable, the nurse moved towards the door to leave the room.

"I'll go get the doctor. When it beeps take it out of her mouth and write down the number. Got it?"

"Yes", Takuma answered softly without looking up from the bed.

The door clicked softly shut. The red-head slumped against the wall. _God, that man's aura is scary, though oddly familiar at the same time._ She sighed and pushed herself away from the wall. _Better go get the doctor before this guy freaks out for taking so long._

10 minutes later, the nurse returned with a stocky man in his early thirties who stood a hair taller than Takuma. The worried vampire leapt to his feet and got in the doctor's face.

"What's wrong with her? Is it a disease? Or is it a serious illness like cancer?"

Shaking off the initial surprise he got from the approach, the doctor collected himself enough to answer calmly, "No, no; the child is fine. Well, she might have a cold or a fever, depending on her inner temperature. If you would permit me…" He gestured toward Kohana. Takuma visibly relaxed and he stepped aside to allow the doctor to pass. _Nothing serious, that's a relief._ He scrunched his face lightly in confusion. _Why was I so riled up about the possibility of this _human_ dying? Humans die all the time from illness or injuries. Why would this case be any different?__** Because of what you promised to do.**_ Takuma shook his head and looked up to find the doctor staring at him.

"So?"

The doctor blinked, averted his eyes, and collected himself for the second time in the last hour. _Must be one of those days, _he thought.He looked back at the expectant green-eyed man but did not meet his gaze,

"Um, right, well she has an average temperature though it could stand to be a bit higher. It's just a mild cold, nothing to worry about. Some rest, plenty of fluids, and maybe some hot soup should do her good. Her body's unusually strong despite the physical condition it's in. May I ask what happened?"

_A cold is all that it was? I could've sworn she was dying or was at least in critical condition. Maybe I was overreacting. What's wrong with me?_

"I wasn't entirely sure. That's why I brought her here; I could not analyze her condition at the time."

The doctor nodded thoughtfully and turned to face the red-headed nurse who was still standing near the door. He dismissed her with a word. The doctor rotated his head around so he was partially facing Takuma. He looked at the vampire through the farthest corner of his left eye.

"Um, because the child does not have a serious injury or illness and I did not have to treat her; I won't charge you. She can rest in this room for a while longer if you wish but if you want her to say overnight, then you'll have to pay a small fee."

Takuma let out a breath in annoyance. _Humans, I swear._ "No, that's okay. I'll take her, um…home." _Dang, where am I going to take Kohana? I can't take her back to the apartment._ The doctor nodded instead of answering and left the room. The blonde vampire picked up the resting girl as gently as possible and prepared to leave. Takuma hesitated at the door. _I probably should not leave the way I came in. I can't believe I forgot to be careful to _not _be noticed when I entered. I'm supposed to be lying low and staying under the radar for a while._ He turned toward the single window of the room. They were on the second floor. Barely a jump for a vampire, even with a passenger. Takuma landed softly without jostling Kohana. He paused for a minute to think of a safe place and took off into the city. He would've taken a taxi through the city for Kohana's comfort but didn't want to leave any more memories of his face with the humans there. Letting all the people at the hospital see him was risky enough and Takuma certainly did not have the energy or time to erase all of their memories.


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Takuma didn't stop running until he had reached the outer suburbs of Tokyo. Surprisingly Kohana had remained asleep the whole trip. He placed the back of his hand to her forehead to check her temperature. It felt warm. _Curses._ All human skin would feel warmer to him than usual because of his own cooler temp. Takuma scanned the surrounding area with his green eyes for the train station. Locating it a few miles away, he sprinted towards it. He didn't want to miss the mid-morning departure. Arriving just as the last call for boarding was sounding out, Takuma slipped into an empty compartment in the back of the train. He laid Kohana down on the seat beside him and titled his blonde head back to rest.

2 hours, four stops, and a long sleep later, the train arrived at the farthest outskirts that the train could go. Takuma saw that Kohana was still unconscious so he quietly exited the train with her in his arms. He seemed to be the only passenger leaving the train and there was not a single soul that was being picked up by it. He paused for a moment trying to remember how to get to where he was going. It was not an easy place to locate especially if you were looking for it. The blonde headed in the direction he thought was the right way.

As he approached two smaller mountain peaks, Takuma stopped in front of some bushes scattered in an odd matter. The calm vampire didn't give the bushes a second look and headed straight for a lone one off closer to the base of the first mountain. Facing the solid rock, he balanced Kohana's resting form in one arm as he placed his now free hand on the rock. Takuma willed a rounded door of steel to appear from the rock. It was a secret tunnel through the mountain to his destination that the green-eyed vampire had constructed to be a simpler path than trekking around the peaks, across streams, and over small canyons and trenches which were put there unnaturally. When the door was complete and open, Takuma began breathing heavily from the effort it took to bring that door into existence from the rocky matter. He wasn't used to exerting so much energy just to use his vampiric ability. _Dang, I'm out of fuel._ At that thought, Takuma's fangs dropped from his upper jaw unwillingly. The now frustrated vampire could barely keep his eyes green but his will could do nothing about his canine extension. He had used up the energy he gained from Billy's blood, he was out of blood tablets, and he was about to run through miles of suffocating small tunnels with a small human. To make it worse once they entered the tunnels there would be only one way out and it wasn't the way they came from. _What a dilemma I have. I'll have to hold my breath._ Takuma could hold his breath for exactly 10 minutes straight. The struggling vampire sucked in a deep breath of cold mountain air, swiftly picked up Kohana, and took off at top speed down his hidden tunnel willing the door closed and gone behind him. It didn't take as much energy to will something away as it does to will something here but that last effort was enough to dissipate Takuma's weak hold on his human appearance. His once soft emerald eyes were now striking red orbs. He noticed that even his hands had started to morph into the claws of a monster. Takuma panicked at the sight thinking he was going to lose complete control over himself and pushed his unwilling body to move faster along the dark tunnels.

After what seemed like an eternity, Takuma heard and felt the slight breeze coming at him from the exit. With one last burst of extraordinary speed, the exhausted and frantic vampire exploded from the confining tunnels and landed with a soft thud on a dirt-covered wooden floor. With zero time to spare, Takuma set Kohana down and rushed to escape the room which he had arrived in. _I need tablets and fast._ When he reached the kitchen area of the shelter, he gasped as he let out the held breath. Takuma regained his breath as he searched the cupboards and drawers frantically for blood tablets. _Finally!_ At last, in a small locked drawer were bags filled with hundreds of tiny white tablets. Takuma practically ripped the drawer apart with his slowly growing claws trying to get at the contents of the drawer. He quickly filled a glass with water from the sink and threw in five of the white tablets. Without waiting for them to dissolve, the desperate vampire downed the contents of the glass in a single gulp.

Two minutes passed before Takuma felt the tablets taking affect on his body. He calmed his senses down and concentrated on reverting back to his human form. The first to go were the scary, animal-like claws. Next, his glowing red eyes slowly dimmed and swirled back into a soft green. Lastly and also with most difficulty, Takuma's oversized canines retracted to look more like a human's.

The ability to shrink or retract one's fangs was more of an acquired trait. Just as humans and animals evolved to fit their surroundings and ever-changing world, vampires evolved to be able to conceal their more obvious vampiric features to better blend in with the emerging society of intelligent and aware humans.

Once again in control of himself, Takuma headed back down to the cellar of the shelter to gather Kohana. He prayed that she was still asleep because he knew it would be an unpleasant experience to wake up in a dank, dark room alone. When he reached the bottom step in the cellar, the blonde noticed that his prayers had not been heard. There in a far corner was Kohana, conscious again, curled in to a ball and shivering. The small girl had not heard Takuma enter so she kept her head buried in her folded arms trying to stay warm. Noticing this, Takuma slowly approached the child while making his footfalls slightly audible as to alert her of his presence.

"Kohana," Takuma called softly, "Are you alright?" The girl in question jerked her brown head up with surprise and fear in her tear-filled blue eyes.

When Kohana had awoke to find herself in a small, dirty and most of all cold room, her spirits crashed and hot tears spilled from her dulled blue eyes. _I've finally been captured and left to rot._ She thought miserably as she cried. Then shock mixed with slight recognition when she heard a quiet, soft voice address her. She shot her head up to meet the cool green eyes of the boy that she seems to always wake up to, Takuma. _Unbelievable; how does he keep showing up? Who is he?_ Kohana aqua orbs followed the teen's cautious, unthreatening movements as he crept closer. When Takuma reached her position, he stopped and slowly sank into a crouch to bring their eye level closer. Kohana silently scanned her options. _I'm done running. If this guy wanted to harm me, he would have done it by now. I couldn't get away even if I tried with him this near me. I guess I'll have to play it by ear._

"Hello…Takuma…," Kohana spoke out quietly while watching his eyes and expression. Takuma started as the girl's timid voice sounded out. He wasn't expecting a response. Overcoming his initial shock, he beamed back at her and began talking.

"You remembered my name! Hello to you as well, Kohana. May I say that you have a lovely name? It truly is. I believe it means 'little flower', right?"

Kohana nodded. _Wow, he's enthusiastic. So far, so good I guess. It seems like he really doesn't mean me any harm. I suppose I can trust him somewhat then._ Takuma spoke again but this time with concern.

"Oh, I almost forgot; how are your wounds? You fainted before. Are you hungry? What would you like to eat?"

Kohana hesitated before responded with an inquiry of her own, "Um, are you going to hurt me?" _Better make extra sure by seeing how he responds to a blunt question._

Takuma looked offended but he completely understood her worries. _I should have expected her to ask something along the lines of that. She's barely known me for an hour. By her tone, she is looking for an honest answer. No problem; I can give one._

"Of course not. I'm glad that you asked what you wanted to know. I saw that you were hurt and in need of help, so I gave it. I merely wish to aid in your recovery. So, I hope that you will allow me to help you."

Kohana processed the sincerity in his words. Deciding it was sufficient and he was to be trusted, she answered with a simple 'okay'. Takuma smiled kindly and held out his hand as he stood up.

"Well, since that's settled; would you like something to eat?"

Kohana's stomach grumbled. She raised her head shyly. For the first time in over two years, she felt safe. Lifting her head higher, Kohana let a true smile slip onto her dirt-covered face and placed her small hand in Takuma's larger one.


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Two months passed and Kohana was getting along very well with Takuma. She had new clothes, good food to eat, and a room of her own with a comfortable bed. The shelter that Takuma had brought Kohana to was in fact his family's house. It was used for vacation, business, and entertainment purposes when Takuma's parents were still alive. Since then it has remained abandoned and hasn't been visited by anyone. There were originally two routes leading to and from the house until Takuma had added the hidden tunnel through the mountain. One was the way you could take from the train stop while the other led to a small village where one could buy supplies and food. The house was more of a small castle or mansion. The square footage of each floor was around the same area as a football field, it had four floors, a basement, a cellar, and a tower-like room jutting out from the East side of the top floor.

The bottom floor consists of the two kitchens, a ballroom, a formal dining room, and a visiting room. Takuma and Kohana rarely use the extra kitchen since it's just the two of them and the others rooms are only entered when they are playing hide-and-go-seek. The second and third floors consist of 8 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, 2 drawing rooms, a playroom, an antique room, and an office on each floor. The top floor is not visited often except to pick a book or two from the vast collection displayed in the giant library. In fact, it seems to be the only room that can be entered. All the other areas, including the tower section, have been sealed off since before Takuma and Kohana arrived. Takuma has tried multiple times to unlock the doors and break the seals to no avail. Apparently, whoever locked those rooms did not want just anyone waltzing in, vampire or human.

Kohana's room is sandwiched between the playroom and a bathroom on the third floor. Across the hall and down two doors is Takuma's room. There is a drawing room and an office on either side of his. Currently, Kohana was finishing a 100-piece puzzle of an arctic fox. She sat back to admire the picture. Feeling a little hungry, she stood up and headed down the two flights of stairs that lead to the main floor. Once in the kitchen, Kohana began to search the cabinets for her favorite snack, cinnamon graham crackers. _Where is it? I couldn't have gone through them that fast._ Unable to find any crackers, she started back up the stairs to ask Takuma if he could buy some more. When she approached Takuma's office door, Kohana called out to announce her arrival.

"Takuma, could you get me more graham crackers? The cinnamon kind? Please."

"Sure Kohana," Takuma answered a little distractedly with his back to her. He was trying to close tabs on his computer. Kohana looked on curiously but was too far away from the desk to see anything more than a picture of a house on the screen. Takuma spun around on his chair with a sheepish smile on his face to finish answering the girl.

"You went through all that we had already? You really like those don't you? I'll have to go into the city to buy them you know? I'll be gone for over four _hours_ because of the long train ride. Are you sure you want to be alone for that long?"

Kohana nodded eagerly, "It will give me more time to find a good hiding spot. You always find me too easily." She put on a faux pouting face. Takuma chuckled lightly at the look. He grabbed his coat, even though he didn't need it, and started down the stairs with Kohana close behind.

"Don't leave the house while I'm gone please and don't eat anything that you could choke on. Also, try not to run when going up or down the stairs." Kohana nodded at each rule as Takuma rambled off the list. _He goes through this _every_ single time he leaves, no matter how long he's gone._ When they reached the front door Takuma paused to give Kohana a hug goodbye before taking off. Kohana waved as Takuma strode off down the path leading toward the train stop. She locked the door behind her and headed back upstairs. _I want to check something. The house on Takuma's screen looked familiar almost but I can't remember from where._

Back in Takuma's office, Kohana sat staring at his computer screen in confusion. Takuma had been researching reports on missing children. One of the reports stated that a woman had perished in a house fire and her husband and daughter were nowhere to be found. _That's my house._ She was looking at a picture of a two-story house on fire._ I remember it looking like that when it went up in flames. Why would Takuma be reading about this?_ While contemplating this, Kohana caught sight of the time. _Shoot; I've wasted a whole hour! I still have to find a hiding place that he will not think to look._ Kohana took off in search of the perfect hiding place.

An hour and a half passes and Kohana still could not find the perfect hiding place. She had searched high and low but did not come across a nook or cranny that Takuma wouldn't look in. Reaching the top level of the house, Kohana was struck with a brilliant idea. She ran into the library to double check if it would work; it would. Each massive bookshelf in the library was bordered by maroon-colored curtains which reached all the way to the floor. If she were to draw them all closed then hide behind one of them, it would take a long time before Takuma finally found her. Kohana smiled widely as she got to work. She closed the curtains of the biggest bookcase last. She picked that one to hide behind. Jumping with excitement, Kohana giggled as she settled herself behind the thick drapes.

Ten minutes later and Kohana was getting bored and stiff in the back. _What time is it? Shouldn't he be home soon? It's stuffy in here._ The 8-year-old slumped against the bookshelf to relax her back. When her hand rested on some books, a mechanical voice sounded out – Species identification confirmed. Access granted. Then the whole section of books from the floor up to the third shelf gave out. Kohana yelped in surprise as she fell backward. The shelves snapped back up into place and Kohana was plunged into darkness. The girl squeaked in fear then again in surprise as soft lights flooded the area.

Takuma sat quietly with his groceries as the train rumbled onward. He sighed impatiently at the slow speed of his transportation. He would have run to and fro but decided to reserve his energy for something important. Takuma always worried when he left Kohana alone for any period of time. His grandfather's men could find his hideaway at any given moment. Takuma had noticed that their activity had increased within the last month. Since he did not want to put Kohana in danger by taking her out of house with him, Takuma usually left her at home and had installed a full house security system which were linked to the alarms to his mobile phone. Speaking of which, the phone in Takuma's pocket began vibrating. One of the house alarms had been set off! Takuma cursed loudly as the train rolled to a stop at the second to the last station. He didn't have time to wait for the train; he had to get home now! Takuma zipped off the train and headed toward the house at top vampire speed.

Kohana did not even bother trying to get back out through the bookcase. It had a thick metal backing. She had landed in a carpeted tunnel which kept going along a level path. Seeing no harm in exploring the secret passageway, Kohana started down it. The tunnel seemed to wrap around the whole fourth floor. She assumed that the wooden-paneled walls to her left were the back walls of the locked rooms that even Takuma could not open. Every couple feet or so Kohana would come across an eye-sized peek hole next to an outline of a door with a keyhole. She peeked through a couple of them but couldn't see anything of interest in the dark, dusty rooms. Then, as Kohana peered through the last hole, she found something very intriguing. She had no idea what was in the room but there were large and small objects covered with pure white sheets. Kohana tried to pry the door free but it wouldn't budge without its key. She stepped back and glared at the door with frustration. _I really want to get into that room. I wonder where the key is._ Kohana spun around in a half circle looking for a key hook on the walls. There wasn't one but she did find something she recognized; a speaker/microphone set. Takuma had discovered them during their first couple weeks staying here. When you speak into one, your voice can be heard through all the other ones set up around the house and then you can answer back through the same means. Kohana leaned closer to blow the dust off of the speaker when it suddenly buzzed to life and Takuma's worried voice sounded from it. Kohana jerked her head back so fast that she lost her balance and fell back on her rump.

"Kohana; are you there? Hello? Answer back please!"

Kohana clambered to her feet and brushed herself off. She had no idea why Takuma was acting so panicky but she responded anyway.

"Yeah, I'm here. Where else would I be? Now come and find me!"

Takuma had arrived at the house out of breath and full of anxiety. He stilled himself as he listened for the intruder. Even with his vampire senses, he could only hear clearly from the cellar up to the staircase that leads to the third floor. It became fuzzy there and he couldn't hear anything happening on the top floor. Takuma didn't hear anything threatening within his range so he called out to Kohana through an intercom device. When she had answered back saying that she was fine, he felt a small amount of relief. Kohana was safe but probably not for long since there was still an intruder unaccounted for. Takuma sucked in a small breath and immediately went rigid as he picked up a strong smell. He knew that scent. _What's one of _them _doing _here_? _A hunter.


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

The strong scent of a vampire hunter lingered in the hallway and trailed down towards the staircase on the main floor. Takuma rushed to follow the scent. _Why would a hunter come here? Grandfather would not, under any circumstances, hire one to track me down. The Society shouldn't even know about this place, let alone be able to find it._ Takuma stopped at the foot of the stairs leading upward. The trail went halfway up then retraced back down the stairs toward the basement. Befuddled, Takuma sprinted downstairs. He reached the cellar where the scent was strongest and entered cautiously, katana drawn.

The cellar was vacant, save a chair and a manila envelope resting on top. Takuma scanned the room to find no other trace of the hunter. _Where did he go? There is only one entrance and one exit to this room. _Humans, vampire hunter or not, cannot disappear into thin air. Takuma willed his katana away and picked up the envelope. On the cover, his name was printed and the bottom left corner was stamped with the Hunter's Association emblem. Takuma was beginning to get angry. The contents of the envelope made him absolutely furious; pictures of Kohana playing and running around the house which were obviously taken just hours ago. _They honestly have the audacity to not only sneak into my home but to what…blackmail me with photos of Kohana? This does not even make sense to do. What's their goal?_ There was nothing else within the package, not even the expected note with a threat written on it.

As Takuma was walking back upstairs he was met with an amusing sight. Kohana stood stubbornly at the top of the staircase, arms crossed, staring down at Takuma with an almost-mad look upon her face.

"Well, where were you? I've been waiting forever in the best hiding spot for you to find me."

Kohana stuck her bottom lip out in a pout. Takuma let out a laugh and finished walking up to the small girl. He had crumpled the envelope into a ball behind his back and let it drop before moving.

"I'm so sorry. I got distracted and completely forgot about our game. How about I make it up to you by reading one of the _Narnia_ stories to you? It's nearly time for you to go to bed."

Kohana relinquished her stern gaze and nodded eagerly.

"Alright, you head up and brush your teeth. I'll get the book from the library and meet you in your room."

Kohana complied immediately. Takuma knew she was going to finish as fast as possible so he hurried to the library and then back down to Kohana's bedroom. He settled down into a plush blue chair just as Kohana skidded to a stop outside the door. She trotted in and hopped joyfully onto her ocean-decorated bedspread. With a soft smile adorned on his face, Takuma began to read out loud, The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis.

By the time Takuma finished the story, Kohana was asleep soundly. Takuma exited the room quietly and went to lie down in his own bed. He sighed deeply. A whole lot of trouble was brewing and heading their way; he could sense it all too well. Takuma hoped that he could protect Kohana and keep her safe through all this as he slipped into a restless sleep.

Back down the hall, a dark dream of mysterious yet wondrous creatures filled Kohana's subconscious.

**(Dream) – **

**The girl smiled and laughed freely at being surrounded by so many beautiful friends. Animals she has never seen before grouped around to romp and run with her. Giant cats with colorful patterns, lovely dogs that seemed to be able to run forever, huge fish leaping and flipping in air before diving gracefully back into the water, winged creatures soaring and flapping at impossible speeds. Kohana rode on the back of a white cat three times her size toward a truly amazing creature waiting for her on a mountaintop. It was jeweled with scales like a serpent, adorned wings like a bat, and stood on raptor-like talons. Kohana did not know what the magnificent being was but she felt that it was also a friend and had something important to tell her. The giant bird-like serpent gazed down at her with eyes like rippling warm water frozen in green colored glass orbs. As Kohana approached, it breathed out a clear, but still visible, smoke with a comforting and familiar scent. The creature raised a fore-talon to gently place a gilded claw at the center of the small child's forehead. A brief image of Takuma smiling flashed before her in place of the serpent.**

**Kohana's vision swirled with a hundred different images before settling on a pitch black scene. She was engulfed in the darkest of shadows and looking into a small window of light. On the other side of the window, there were blurred figures murmuring incoherently to one another. The scene changed once again to an abandoned train yard. Kohana was running at an unimaginable speed, her face close to the ground. She felt strange and an unknown fear slipped into the dream with her. Kohana knew she was the one running but her body seemed different somehow. She looked down at her hands moving in front of her but did not recognize their odd shape. Glancing to either side of her, Kohana saw a giant dog-like creature and her white cat friend keeping pace. She turned her head forward in time to see the entrance of a cave before she was plunged into it.**

**Kohana fell, twisting and turning through space. A whisper broke the darkness, "Itzal-Senka"** and Kohana shot up in bed; screaming. She was huffing for breath when Takuma burst into the room looking disheveled.

"What's wrong? What happened? Are you okay Kohana?"

The girl's only answer was a blank stare. The dream had felt so real but now the images and feelings were disappearing; fading from her mind to be forgotten. Kohana shook her head as the last bits of the dream left her memory and she dropped back down onto the bed, asleep once again. Takuma blinked in confusion at the child's behavior but left her to rest. He'd ask her about it when she was truly awake.

**Two Years Later**

An 11-year-old Kohana woke up in a sweat from the strangest dream. It was so odd that she thought it would have stuck in her memory but it left swiftly as Kohana rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She tried to remember the most vivid image from her dream; 'bird-like serpent'. _I really want to know what that creature is. Maybe Takuma knows._ At the thought, Kohana bounded off to ask him.

Takuma pondered the information he had collected over the years. The envelope with the Hunter's emblem on it, hunter assassination reports that he had barely managed to obtain, and various pieces of information on his grandfather's whereabouts and activities lay spread out on Takuma's desk. All had come from reliable sources and had a certain amount of sense about them…individually. Put together and you get absolutely nothing; nothing that added up. First of all, he wasn't even sure if the stamp on the envelope was a hunter's insignia. It had all the right markings of one but there was a character (Japanese writing character) placed in the center of it. Second, he had searched through all records and hunter lists for his name with negative results. The Hunter Association was not after him for the usual means. Takuma not being on their assassination list did not guarantee that they are not after him at all. Lastly, Ichio and the vampires working under the elder were still stationed in the heart of Tokyo. Their movements had remained within the city limits since Takuma fled the place. It was as if they had completely forgotten about Takuma.

As Takuma was trying to make sense of the puzzle piece, Kohana strode into the room unannounced. Takuma started at the girl's sudden entrance.

"Oh, good evening Kohana. Need something?"

"It's still morning, Takuma. And yes; I was wondering if you knew the name of the animal that looks like a giant snake with four legs and bat wings. I couldn't think of any ones that I know of."

Takuma blinked in confusion. A _serpent that has legs and wings? I know for a fact there are not any real animals with those features. Perhaps she saw a picture of a mythical creature._

"I'm not sure what you mean but I know of a few books that might give you an answer. I'll show you the section in the library."

Kohana enjoyed reading any of the books from Takuma's library, so she became excited as she followed him up. Inside the library, Takuma scanned the shelves of the biggest bookcase which was labeled 'FICTION'. Kohana paused in thought as she looked on at the bookshelf. There was something oddly familiar about it but for some reason Kohana could not remember why. Her cool-blue eyes caught on an untitled, red-colored book sitting on the third shelf up from the floor. _Key… _Kohana came back from her stupor as the sudden word invaded her thoughts. _Where did that come from? What key?_ She stopped trying to figure it out when Takuma handed her three books; two thin paperback and a hardcover.

"These should help. The thick one is more of a dull reference book but you should find what you're looking for."

"Thanks Takuma," She gave the blonde a swift hug. "Would it be okay if I read these outside? It is nice today and I wanted to check out a clearing in the forest that I saw from my bedroom. Please?"

Takuma gave the pleading girl a smile and a nod, "That's fine but don't stray too far East of the willow tree. And be inside before sunrise!" He had to yell the last part because Kohana had already bounded down the hall.

"Sundown!" Kohana called back, automatically correcting Takuma's slip-up. The suddenly sleepy vampire face palmed himself for mixing up day and night again. Even knowing that sundown, not sunrise, was coming did not help him from saying the wrong thing especially with his internal vampire clock telling him that he should be asleep instead of awake. Kohana was still, fortunately, unaware of the species difference between them. Takuma had been lucky enough that Kohana was not taking too much notice in his unusual habits and constant speech blurbs. The vampire world was not something that the girl needed to get involved in.

Kohana sat at the base of a black pine tree overlooking a small clearing, while she flipped through her books for the strange snake creature. Takuma had educated her in mathematics, reading, writing, grammar usage, science, and a little history. She had picked up everything fairly easy and advanced well beyond that of a typical 11-year-old. According to the level addressed in her textbooks, Kohana was nearing the high school level courses. Takuma had promised Kohana that if she wished, he would enroll her in a real high school for her 12th birthday. For now, she could do as she pleased as long as she put in an hour or two worth of studying a day. Now, being that the study of mythical creatures and the such was not something required to learn, it still came across as odd to Kohana that Takuma rarely brought up the subject until she had asked.

She found what she had been searching for. Kohana finally flipped to the section of one of the flat books that held the identity of the strange bird-serpent. Apparently it was called a dragon. The description in the paperback was not very detailed or interesting. Plus, it was of a Chinese legend. Kohana tried the other paperback book with similar results. She gave the thick hardcover a defeated look before picking it up and looking up dragons in the index. Contrary to Takuma's words, this book was not in the least bit dull. It was particularly informative in the 'Dragon' section. Kohana read the first passage out loud to herself:

Dragons are the mighty winged creatures of magical heritage that date back centuries. The basic characteristics of these magnificent beasts are; diamond-hard scaled bodies, bat-like wings that can stretch to twice the body length, razor sharp talons and fangs, feline eyes, a spiked tail, and a reptilian-shaped head. Dragons can vary in their size, color, and elemental ability. Those of the wind, sky, and air usually control those elements and can fly faster and higher than any other dragon. They are colored for their ever-changing surroundings. Fire, rock, and ground are masters of combat and are the sturdiest of them all. The bright and dulls of red, orange, and brown cover these warriors. Those of Water, ice, and rain are fluid spirits who live underwater and have fins rather than wings. These beings are of the different shades of the ocean. The most peaceful and most powerful of the dragons are those of nature, life, and spirit. They protect the earth and are the hidden guardians of all life. Soft greens of the grass and trees decorative these sentient reptiles.

After each description was a beautifully detailed drawing of the dragon in all its majesty and brilliance. Kohana could barely keep from reading farther. She wanted to save the rest of the story for before-bed-reading. She sat back and tried to remember what the dragon in her dream looked like. It didn't have any bright colors like a fire/rock dragon. It had wings so it wasn't a water/ice one. Kohana hummed in thought before deciding that it did not resemble a wind/sky dragon. That just left the nature/life which, now that she thought about it, was very close to her dragon. _So I dreamt about a giant wolf, a white tiger, a nature dragon, and falling into a tunnel. What the heck is that about?_ It was such an odd combination that Kohana could not even begin to unravel the unknown reasons behind having the dream.

She got to her feet and stretched out her limbs. They were sore from sitting in the same position for such a long time. Speaking of time, Kohana turned her face to the sky to see the Sun placed half-way between the noon position and the horizon. _About 2:30 then. I have a little less than three hours before sundown._ The Sun appeared to set earlier because the mountain valley blocked the true skyline. Kohana made her way quickly back to the house. When she entered, all was quiet. There was not any sign of Takuma as Kohana jogged up to the fourth floor to return the mythology books. She did not come across him during her trek back downstairs either. Kohana was sure that he was still inside because there were not any notes attached to the refrigerator or lying on the kitchen counters like there usually would be if Takuma had left the house. She almost called out to him on the intercom but thought against it in case he was just asleep. Shrugging in acceptance of that possibility, Kohana ran back outside with the notebook and pencil she had grabbed from stationary cabinet in the library.


End file.
